


Chosen

by tonia_barone



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Episode: s01e07 Marooned, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 19:44:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10578225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonia_barone/pseuds/tonia_barone
Summary: Leonard reflects on how he and Mick got to this point





	

**Author's Note:**

> Leonard kept poking at me until I wrote this, so blame him.

Leonard liked to think that he was a simple man that wanted simple things, his sister safe and his best friend happy being chief among those things.  He’d ensured the first before he and Mick had left Central City.  He’d let her know that he and Mick were leaving town for an indeterminate time, made sure that she had the location and keys to a few of his more lucrative safehouses, and left with the promise to bring her back something shiny and golden.

The second, however, was proving to be a bit more difficult to achieve. 

When presented with a chance to travel through time, the little nerd inside Leonard that he did his best to keep tucked away lifted his head and begged for the chance to go.  While tangling with the Flash was fun, had made him up his game, it was getting old fast and he was looking for something new.  So Leonard gave in to that part of him.  He decided to take something for himself, for once. 

Mick hadn’t wanted any part in it, of course.  Mick cared about exactly three things in descending order: fire, Leonard, and Lisa.  From the moment Mick had met Leo’s baby sister when they were teenagers, Mick had adopted her as his own sister and was just as protective of her as Leonard was.  Upon hearing Leonard’s desire to go gallivanting through time, Mick’s first response had been “What about Lisa?”

“Lisa’s a big girl; she can take care of herself,” was Leonard’s response.

“I need the fire, Leonard.  Kinda hard to set a tin can on fire,” had been Mick’s next argument.

“We won’t be spending all of our time on the ship, Mick.  We’ll have to disembark to hunt down this Savage fellow,” Leonard replied.

Then Mick brought up the main point of contention.  “I can’t believe you’re thinking of hooking up with the Englishman.”

Leonard laid out his rebuttal that they could use this as a way to steal the greatest icons of history.  Considering the look Mick gave him, his friend realized that if they were stolen when they were made, they wouldn’t be worth shit in the present.  Either because they’d never become famous, or because they wouldn’t have the patina age gave things of value. 

Mick ignored both of those points in favor of saying, “You’re being over-dramatic again, Leonard.  I remember when you were just a snot-nosed scrawny scrap of a kid I had to save in juvie; I don’t buy into the whole ‘Captain Cold’ persona.  Lose the drawl and tell me the _real_ reason you want to go.”

Giving up on grandstanding, Leonard told him the truth.  “I think it could be fun.  It’s a chance at an adventure, Mick.  It’s something new, something different than the ho-hum of stealing and fighting Flash every other month.  I want to go, but I won’t leave you behind.  Not again, not like last time.”

Mick had eyed Leonard as he sipped his beer, clearly considering what Leonard had said.  After a tense minute, the other man had huffed out a gruff, “I better not regret this, Leonard.”

Leonard considered it a win and had grinned at his long-time partner, “I promise, Mick.  This is going to be the chance of a lifetime.”

Looking back on it now, Leonard could see that he’d been blinded by his desire to get on an actual spaceship and live out the sci-fi dreams of his childhood.  As he stood in the hallway of the Waverider, stuck between his oldest friend and his possible future, Leonard reflected on the fact that this was all his fault.  Mick had been feeling twitchy for weeks now without something to burn, and instead of insisting they stop somewhere to give his partner an outlet, Leonard had kept mum about it.  It really wasn’t so surprising that Mick would then take the first chance he could get at pushing back at the reason for them both being there.

Leonard just hated that his partner, his oldest friend, had put him in this spot.  He had to choose now.  Would he join Mick and the pirates in taking over the ship so they could go home, or would he throw his lot in with Sara and the rest of the team to save their chance at protecting the future?  Lisa’s future. 

Eyes closed, Leonard took a fortifying breath before he gave his answer, “Chosen,” and fired on his partner of nearly 30 years.  If it had just been his life on the line, or even the team’s, Leonard would have sided with Mick, but there was Lisa to consider.  Her future, and her children’s future.  Leonard would do everything in his power to ensure both were secure.  She was his top priority, above all else.  Even Mick.


End file.
